GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Are you unemployed or working and still unable to make ends meet? Do you have health care? Are you concerned about our national security? Can you afford to send your child to college?

Heading into the Nov. 6 general election, West Michigan and voters across the state and country are pondering a lot of important issues. By now, most have chosen or are leaning toward the candidate they feel is best for their future and that of the country for federal offices.

Readers responding to a Friday post offered their thoughts about who The Grand Rapids Press and MLive Media Group should endorse this week to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate.

Debbie works on issues that are important to the people of Michigan. She will engage in a conversation about an issue, listen to her constituents, and reply respectfully. She has not worked to restrict women's, children's and families' access to health care. She has not deemed "equal pay for equal work" a "nuisance." She is working to protect the Great Lakes from invasive species. She is championing new industries based in Michigan. She works for the people of Michigan, not a narrow interest group.

And Lawrence Biggs also shared a positive remarks about Stabenow's representation.

Debbie Stabenow has consistently demonstrated her commitment to Michigan workers and jobs. She is bright, articulate, caring and committed to the needs of all of Michigan. Pete Hoekstra is be holding to the tea party wing of the Republican party, and that is bad for Michigan and the nation.

But reader livedangerously says Hoekstra's foreign policy knowledge is a plus and Western Michigan will get more attention:

If anyone still doesn't believe foreign affairs experience is a must for a US Senator to have after the Benghazi deaths of four Americans you must be living in a cave. Pete Hoekstra as former chair of the foreign intelligence oversight committee in the US House has that experience. I'm afraid Ms. Stabenow thinks anything on the West side of the state is a foreign affair. Michigan needs a balance between its two Senators. Carl Levin already represents the Big City, Big Union East side. We need someone to represent us from the Western and rural parts of the state.

And reader mary_schultz has a host of reasons why a change in leadership is needed:

If I may, I appreciate MLive's request for feedback and to reflect on the views of the electorate before making their selection, it's about time someone wants to represent the views people, and not just unions. If I may add, that online news is the way of the future, immediate "live-chat" is a way to inform or increase awareness and participation in the electoral process, as long as there is not a compromise in research to validate information that is being shared.
That said, I'd like to share that what bothers me most about the Senate's failure to pass a budget. I feel its an abuse of power, and it needs to change. Not passing a simple budget agreement is abdicating their duty as elected officials to be good stewards of the allocation of taxpayer resources. Both Senate & House Democrats have voted "No" on all GOP budget proposals in the house, AND 27 total bills PASSED in the GOP led house; as well as even Obama's own budget proposals, which did not garner one single democrat vote either!

To me, this is offensive! It means our elected officials do not want to be held accountable by informing the public as to how they're spending our dollars, and how much they're spending. This seemingly intentional effort to withhold information from the public on how much our ever-expanding govt is costing us, and instead preferring to pass temporary spending bills that make each decision a political one left in the power of a small group with too much power.

Additionally, I believe a budget makes us accountable for what we're doing; it forces us to look at what we're spending on and how to be efficient. People who think they are going to get "stuff" for free, need to be realistic and be shown how much "free" is going to cost us.

Reader David Wolf disagrees saying Stabenow is a proven leader, who has supported business and farmers:

Debbie Stabenow is a proven advocate for Michigan in the Senate. She is also a strong supporter of our industries, small businesses and farmers. Her opponent has consistently embraced a return to the failed policies of the Bush Administration which ran our American economy into the ditch.
We simply can't afford to bring the Bush failures back, now that we are on the road to recovery.

However, reader tstillings thinks Hoekstra has the solutions and is the better choice:

Debbie won't even stand up to defend her record in open debate. Maybe she realizes that under scrutiny it looks like a train wreck. Other than naming a couple of post offices and public buildings, she hasn't passed a single bill of her own origination. She has proposed only a few. She is a large part of our current problem. Pete Hoekstra has the solution. His national security credentials alone are enough to elect him over her. Add to that his positions on spending and the economy, and it becomes a "no brainer."

Email:mscott2@mlive.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter @Twitter.com/GRPScotty.